Henryc Wayne News Today

Here, we recount the brief and bizarre tale of the U.S. Army’s strangest division.

The United States once pushed to establish a Camel Corps that lasted only from 1856 to 1866.

Because U.S. soldiers simply didn't have the skills to handle the camels.

The U.S. Army Almost Brought Camels to the American Southwest The dromedary camel of the Middle East seemed ideally suited for use in the much untamed American southwest. Heres What You Need to Know: Getting the camels to the United States proved less daunting than convincing Congress to undertake the endeavor. The camel has been called both the “ship of the desert” for its ability to cross arid lands where no other animal could go, but also “a horse designed by committee”—the latter...

The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, involved 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory, which would eventually make up all or part of the states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Much of this terrain was extremely dry, desert landscape alien to the European-Americans who hugged the temperate East. The only desert most Americans knew about was in the Bible. Which seems to be where the camels, the ships of the desert, came in. ...

Indianola, Texas with 21 camels on board Subscriber-Only Content Subscribe to Naval History magazine to gain access to this article and a host of other fascinating articles and stories that keep our maritime history and heritage alive. Subscribers receive this valuable benefit and so much more.